Itching for dirt under my fingernails...

I'm headed to the garden center today, as my garden plot is all paid up and I want to get some compost in before they till it.

I'm trying to be proactive about tomato diseases this year, as last year I lost much of the fruit to septoria leaf spot. However, that will come later. As it is, this week (after it's tilled) I plan to plant peas, radishes, shallots and garlic.

We now have a relatively large area cleared in our back yard (we removed a tree, a trampoline and some other large items the past year or so), so I'm toying with the idea of moving into agriculture in a big way this year...by which I mean, corn, exotic peppers and leafy green veg, and lots of herbs (specifically basil and sage, which I use a lot of in cooking). Only downside is that I have very little knowledge of gardening...but now seems a good time to start turning over the ground.

Two things I have learned:
1. poop, poop, and more poop (sometimes you can get it free from local stables, but since it isn't composted, I usually buy mine - from Jewel, actually)
2. Mulch with whole spread-out newspaper sections (cut a little x for your seedling to poke through) covered with standard mulch like cypress, grass clippings, straw or whatever.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! No, it isn't. All you'll do is compact the soil - it's way, way too early, and the soil is way too wet to be even thinking about touching for at least another month. And apart from the leafy greens you mentioned, the planting season for tender crops such as peppers, corn, and basil is when the soil is actually warm - late May may be all right. Note that I said "may"....

You can start seeds indoors in April if you like for the peppers and the basil, but don't screw around with the corn. It doesn't transplant well at all, and if you put it in too early, the seed will rot in the ground. Trust me on this, my friend. Wait, and your patience will be rewarded.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! No, it isn't. All you'll do is compact the soil - it's way, way too early, and the soil is way too wet to be even thinking about touching for at least another month. And apart from the leafy greens you mentioned, the planting season for tender crops such as peppers, corn, and basil is when the soil is actually warm - late May may be all right. Note that I said "may"....

You can start seeds indoors in April if you like for the peppers and the basil, but don't screw around with the corn. It doesn't transplant well at all, and if you put it in too early, the seed will rot in the ground. Trust me on this, my friend. Wait, and your patience will be rewarded.

I mentioned my "very little knowledge of gardening," right?

The Wife had mentioned that the ground was to be turned as soon as it got soft, but as it turned out, I spent the day eating instead of gardening, so no harm.

Lettuce is one of the first things you can plant, it loves the cool. General rule of thumb for lettuce is 4 weeks before the last frost which is generally May 15. Otherwise, I agree with Peg, start seeds indoors now and enjoy going to greenhouses or the Garden Show for your gardening "fix".

Last edited by LikestoEatout on March 13th, 2007, 5:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

As I mentioned elsewhere, the IL Extension office is a great place for anyone to start. They have an online calendar in there somewhere that tells you what to do when: which crops are "cool season" - plant early, harvest in summer, and which are "warm season" - plant late, harvest in fall. You can replant some cool season crops in fall for a second crop.

Our park district tills the soil for us in early March as soon as there's a brief thaw; I usually go back with a shovel and a rake and re-do it when I'm planting warm-season crops, but it's a lot easier if it's been tilled...